The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunication, and more particularly to teleconferencing.
A telephone or audio conference (i.e., teleconference) enables multiple participants to communicate with the other participants of the teleconference, or optionally, mute a connection and attend the teleconference in “listen only” mode. Video conferences (e.g., video telephony) add visual elements to a conference session. Some technologies utilize computer systems to communicate the visual elements (e.g., charts, graphs, videos, pictures, etc.) and other digital elements (e.g., digital audio files, animated graphics, etc.), while standard telephony communicates the verbal (e.g., audio) portion of the conference session.
Businesses can utilize teleconferences to communicate directly with multiple individual (e.g., of the business, of a supplier, of a client, etc.) dispersed across various geographical location without incurring the time, the expense, and the disruption associated with travel for in-person interactions. Mobile collaboration systems combine the use of video, audio, and on-screen drawing capabilities using various hand-held electronic devices to broadcast over secure networks, enabling multi-party conferencing in real-time, independent of location. With the advent of Cloud computing systems and services, digital teleconferencing provides a more secure mobile collaboration system where user may exchange data, files, images, videos, and in some instances, collaboration software can allow participants in different locations to interact with the data, files, images, and videos (e.g., project management, online proofing, etc.).
Teleconferencing is not limited to a business environment. Education and medicine also benefit from teleconferencing. For example, educational institutions offer on-line classes that allow students to obtain degrees. In some cases, a student utilizes the Internet to participate in a real-time classroom lecture that may include an instant messaging (IM) function or audio function to ask questions. In other cases, classes and lectures may be prerecorded and a student accesses the information in an on-demand mode over the Internet.